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(More customer reviews)And an intriguing work of scholarship besides. This was originally released back in the early 1970's by the late David Munrow as a three album box set.
The first part of this recording is basically dedicated to Machaut and his contemporaries. The chanson -Amours me fait desirer- remains striking to this day, with its unusual leap in its first measures. -Amis tout dous- is a lovely miniature, and so also is the monophonic -Quant je sui mis au retour-. But the high point of this part of the record is -Quant j'ay l'espart-, a duet between countertenor and bass cornetto (a serpent?), understated and heartbreaking.
The second part is weirdness from the Avignon court of the Popes, the time when rhythmic notation got more sophisticated, and composers grew more experimental. The unusual chromaticism of -Fumeux fume- is given a great performance here. The -Tre fontane- estampie is given a reading here that is truly frenzied. -Plasanche, ou tost- is a lovely song. You also get rhythmic oddities like -Le greygnour bien-.
The third album nears Renaissance music, and focuses on Dufay and Binchois. Loud instruments like sackbuts and shawms are featured on pieces like -Donnes l'assault-, which seems risky, but sometimes works. The usually quiet pieces on the -La Spagna- ground are here given a marching-band performance on loud winds. The real high points here, though, are the motet -O tres piteulx-, Binchois absolutely gorgeous -Amoureux suy-, and the setting of Petrarch's -Vergine bella-.
This is a definitive early music performance that should never be allowed to go out of print. My only complaint with the CD edition is that it lacks some of the more extensive notes that came with the phonograph record booklet.
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